OK 08, you\'re being the eternal pessimist that I usually am. Horn isn\'t going anywhere. He\'s a pro bowl receiver and one of the team\'s anchors. If Fontenot options out there are three offensive linemen already on the team that have and/or can play center. That\'s not a free agent signing. The middle of our line is solid. Turley will probably need to be replaced... Riley isn\'t going anywhere, he may not be great, but they\'re not going to upgrade there. So on offense, you\'re talking about one free agent starter and maybe one new starter who is already on the team. Sure you may have a new back up QB and back up running back, but hopefully they won\'t really affect the season. A third receiver might, but that is NOT a make or break for this offense, which should only be better next year.

Defensively, I\'m pretty confident, for whatever that is worth, that you will not see two new DTs or safeties. Jackson played well in the second half of the year and if he can shed some weight he is a quality starting DT. Mel Mitchell will start, which is a new addition to the starting line up, but again, was with the team this past year. You probably will see a new corner and one or two new linebackers. Again, you\'re talking about maybe four or five new free agent starters at most... we had that this year on offense and it worked pretty well, didn\'t it?

Grady Jackson is a question mark . Weight issue and short contract make him questionable , the man almost hit 400 lbs.

Front line is a potential loss at positions , once again it is how it all plays out . Turley and Fontenot are friends if one goes the other might want out . Wally Williams looks like a cap casuality . Either Riley or Falou were short termed contracted , I cannot remember .

Bellamy gets toasted more then croutons , Knight optioned out of his contract .

Offensively , that was a push . Lost depth at runningback which ended up hurting the Saints but the tight end held up . The lineman are the ones that have to gel early or there is havoc .

Still think there are to many players coming in with an unproven coaching staff . Fontenot was the team captain that is a huge loss if he pulls out .

\"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn\'t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed.\" - George S. Patton
On another note, I\'ll take a bite of that crow 08. - Saintfan
Brooks is a moron!! - Halo

Well if that is the case Billyh , I say we move him to the dirty turds and give him a raise to make him stay .

Who Dat , I am not sure this coaching staff has the ability to keep the team focused through 16 games . Now add more rookies and free agents all learning to play with each other in a system that puts them out of position .

I do agree with you that this coaching staff as a whole has issues. Same thing happened two years in a row. Around the same time regardless of the circumstances. Once is a mistake. Twice is a coincident. Three times...well there better not be a third time. Either way, none are forgivable.

Director of player personnel Rick Mueller said he\'s for staying on in New Orleans as he contract nears expiration after the draft.

Despite the ouster of his brother Randy as general manager last offseason, Rick Mueller has talked with new GM Mickey Loomis about returning. That decision may be made easier because Randy Mueller doesn\'t appear close to getting a new job.

After Riley came through the college\'s hiring season without a job, he figures to be back. That\'s probably the only change that was likely despite the team\'s struggles down the stretch.

Haslett can be a seat-of-the-pants kind of coach who relies on his instincts in game situations. He\'s a player\'s coach, and has done well against regular opponents: The Saints are 10-5 against teams that now comprise the NFC South since Haslett took over as coach in 2000.

But with two season-ending slides in the last two seasons, there are questions about his effectiveness over the course of a 17-week season. Many also argue with his decision not to use Delhomme when Brooks\' health was in question.

McCarthy can be innovative at times, but his offense showed poor attention to details down the stretch. They masked some of those problems during the first half of the season by generating big plays.

The Saints had 108 offensive plays of 15 or more yards in 2002, with WR Joe Horn\'s 34 receptions and RB Deuce McAllister\'s 15 runs leading the team.

Venturi is tied to Haslett at the hip and is in no danger of losing his job. The defense was suspect from the start and they held together a shaky unit with bailing wire and chewing gum for much of the season.

There are some young stars to watch for, chief among them DE Charles Grant - who had seven sacks, fourth among NFL rookies and fourth best by a Saints rookie.

They are going to re-think their system as opponents seem to have caught up with their scheme.

The good news: Venturi has already gotten started, arriving early at the Senior Bowl last week.

\"Normally, it\'s the re-entry for us. It really begins the search for procurement of talent,\" he said. \"We begin this week on the college aspect as well as the free agent aspect, which we\'ll work hard on next week when we get back in the office. This is the restart for 2003.\"

Haslett\'s new deal came with an honest assessment from the coach: He pointed toward 2003 as a breakout season all last year. But a fast start in 2002 built up expectations that were dashed by the final slide.

If Haslett can\'t close the deal in 2003, then the drums will bang louder for him

\"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn\'t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed.\" - George S. Patton
On another note, I\'ll take a bite of that crow 08. - Saintfan
Brooks is a moron!! - Halo

Saints | Horn Expects Raise - posted at KFFL (http://nfl.kffl.com)
7:14 PT: Darrell Williams, of The Times-Picayuue, reports WR Joe Horn expects to receive a new, more lucrative contract from the New Orleans Saints this offseason. Horn made $2 million this season, but ranks well below the other Pro Bowl WRs in salary. Horn, who is at his third Pro Bowl, doesn\'t have a Pro Bowl incentive clause either. \"We haven\'t discussed (a new contract), yet,\" he said. \"But I feel the Saints will do what\'s necessary to take care of me because I\'ve played my tail off on Sundays ever since I got here, and I\'m a professional off the field, too.\"

\"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn\'t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed.\" - George S. Patton
On another note, I\'ll take a bite of that crow 08. - Saintfan
Brooks is a moron!! - Halo

This is one of the strangest coaching situations I\'ve ever seen in my life. i.e. Mike Riley??
What the hell is his purpose? It\'s to have a paycheck while waiting for a head coaching job. Huh? What? I\'ve never understood that one from the get-go.

And coaches who have anyone \"tied to the hip\" of them end up fired. The way a Head coach makes a team good is to be an \"I\" man not an \"I hope everyone likes me\" man. It\'s cut-throat baby....like it or not.

We\'ll see how professional Horn is off the field when it\'s either yah or nay on a contract. AB sure didn\'t handle it like a professional.

Dean Vernon Wormer: Mr. Hoover, president of Delta house? One point six; four C's and an F. A fine example you set! Daniel Simpson Day... HAS no grade point average. All courses incomplete. Mr. Blu - MR. BLUTARSKY... ZERO POINT ZERO.John 'Bluto' Blutarsky: Christ. Seven years of college down the drain. Might as well join the f@$%ing Peace Corps.